Recently, various devices, such as a printer and a facsimile, are connected to a network. A printer acquires document data as a target of printing from a terminal. A facsimile acquires facsimile data. Alternatively, if the facsimile has a telephone function, the facsimile may acquire (record) a message of a party on the other end. Hereinafter, document data, facsimile data, and the like, are generically referred to as “content.” Devices which acquire content, such as a printer and a facsimile, are generically referred to as “content acquisition device” or “network device”.
Acquired content is managed by the network device itself or by a content management device communicably connected to the network device. The “content management device” is hereinafter referred to as a “management device.” It is advantageous for the network device or the management device to be able to search for a desired content among a plurality of managed content. In order to search for a desired content, the network device or the management device stores content in association with a keyword for searching purpose. Herein, the keyword for searching purpose is referred to as a “search keyword.” The user designates a search keyword in accordance with content.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-20256 describes a management device that is easy for the user to designate a search keyword. The management device is connected to an image reader (a kind of network device) through a network. The image reader generates a reduced-size image of received image data (image content) and transmits the image to the management device. The management device extracts a characteristic quantity from the received reduced-size image and extracts candidates for a keyword associated with the reduced-size image in accordance with the characteristic quantity. The thus-extracted candidates for the keyword are sent to the image reader. The image reader displays the keyword candidates. The image reader sends to the management device a candidate designated by the user from among the candidates and acquired image data. The management device stores the keyword candidate designated by the user and the image data in association with each other. That is, the management device stores the keyword candidate designated by the user as a search keyword.
According to the technique described in the Publication, inconvenience arises when assigning a search keyword for a second image data is started before assigning a search keyword for a first image data is completed. In order to maintain the association between the first and second image data and keywords for respective image data (keyword candidates or search keywords), both of image data and a keyword has to be exchanged between the image reader and the management device at all times. If not, the association between the image data and the keyword might be lost.
A desire exists for a content management system that manages a plurality of sets of image data by efficiently associating the sets of data with search keywords. A content management system that manages not only image data but also acquired content by efficiently associating search keywords to the content has been desired.